Meat/blood spots in eggs...any cure?

[Tinkspirit70]

Hi I have read on here before about meat/blood spots in eggs....my girls( with the exception of three are all around 9 to 10 months old) and I have noticed the brown specks in my eggs. Why does this happen? and can I help prevent it somehow? Does it have anything to do with diet? they are all fed very well, better then me in fact. I know it doesnt cause harm for us to eat them and believe me we eat them but I have starting selling my eggs and would love to figure this out

 

[Kittymomma]

No real cure that I know of. In a few instances there seems to be a genetic connection, but for the most part I find it to be most common in my pullets and they go away after the girls have been laying for a few months and the kinks get worked out of the system.

Interestingly enough (at least to me) my latest batch of pullets are all "barnyard mixes" and have been completely freeranged (not my idea and a long story) and I haven't found any blood or meat spots in their eggs. This is my first batch of completely home grown layers and the only one to have been freeranged to this extent so I'm not sure if it's coincidence or if one thing or the other is contributing to the better quality of the eggs, but I do find it interesting.

ETA: With a little practice you should be able to see the meat/blood spots in the eggs by candling them and just keep those for yourself and sell the "clean" ones.

 

[pgpoultry]

I don't ever get them and mine are free rangers as well.

Does anyone know if the free range environment prevents the spots or is it just luck?

Sandie

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Commercial egg producers candle their eggs for that reason. My great grand mother candled the eating eggs she sold. Until I came to this web site a few years ago, I didn't realize so many people selling eggs don't candle. I thought candling eggs before selling them was normal. Anyway, that's one way to see blood spots and meat spots. They look like a dark spot, when you candle.

I rarely get meat spots or blood spots in eggs. As far as I know, they can be hereditary, due to disease or just the occasional little blip. Pullets just starting to lay sometimes take a little time to get things working smoothly, too. The standard advice for a working flock is to cull a hen that has a consistent problem with this.

 

[Imp]

Here's a link with some info. Maybe it will be a help

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/1/egg-quality-handbook/28/blood-spots

Imp